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Bob

Veteran | Member since 2016 | United States

72 Ratings | 30 Likes | 2 Followers

I first became interested in rum while visiting Puerto Rico. The original rum that got my attention was "Bacardi Reserva" back in 2003. It was $20. on the island then and isn't currently available in my area. At the time it was the smoothest and sweetest straight alcohol I'd ever had. From there I moved into Bacardi 8 Year, Don Q Añejo, and Ron del Barrilito 3 star. I was hooked on exploring rums ever since. After a trip to Barbados, Mt. Gay Eclipse became my go-to rum for years, now MGXO is a big favorite of mine. Only since the beginning of 2017 have I started sipping rum and drinking it alone or with just a few ice cubes. It's been incredibly interesting learning about so many different styles and flavors. If I had to pick a few brands I like best I'd say Mt.Gay, Doorly's, Don Q, and El Dorado.
Remember if you're not having fun then you're not doing it right!

Cheers!!!

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Brand

Review

Rating

Don Q Signature Release Single Barrel

A rare one and personal favorite It's like their Gran Reserva but smoother with way more oak flavor in the finish, it seems like they may have used wet bourbon casks for the aging. It

Excellent rum I just revisited this and I taste very little fortified wine influence but mostly toffee and vanilla with some oak and oak tannins in the finish that

Very good Bajan flavor Smoother than the Doorly's XO and significantly different - the younger Doorly's has more of a classic caramel/oak flavor while the elder has a deeper

Don Q Gran Anejo

Unadulterated rum, good flavor, has some heat This has some heat to it for a Gran Añejo rum, but when you get passed it, the flavors are really good and it finishes smoother than expected. There's

Santa Teresa 1796

Very nice rum Butter, oak, vanilla, caramel, all the good flavors of rum while being smooth and not having a ton of added sugar. If you dont like this then you dont

Smooth, easy drinker, nice aging. I finally came around and bought a bottle of this when I saw it for a good price in the classic blue box/bottle combo which has now been discontinued.

Incredible value Unadulterated aged Bajan rum with great natural oak and vanilla flavor. Not as smooth as the 12 year but without being too hot. It has more sweetness

Mount Gay XO Extra Old

This is my style rum right here, there's something for everyone in this MGXO has a super nice balance of dry, smokey, sweet, and oaky barrel flavor. There are hints of marshmallow vanilla along with chocolate, leather, and

Different and good There is very little burn in sipping this and it has a toasted oaky vanilla flavor that comes through. It's not as bold as Doorly's 12 year which has

Don Q Signature Release Single Barrel

The 40% abv version Definitively Don Q flavor that is fruity, light vanilla, light caramel, light oak. Unique to this version is an unfiltered feeling with the flavor of

Zafra Master Reserve 21

Smooth as can be Tried this neat at a restaurant in PR and it was delicious. Subtle vanilla and oak sweetness that reminded me a little of the better quality DR rums l

The balance I love both sweet and dry rums and have been searching for a rum that has a good balance of the two. El Dorado 8 is the closest thing I've found so fa

Pampero Aniversario

Tasty At first sip I expected it to be sweeter and more viscous based on the nose and color. The initial taste is some leathery tobacco that I didn't expect

Smokey and delicious Nearly as good as the older Gran Añejo version. The beauty in DonQ rum for me is not necessarily in the flavors that come from the barrel aging, thoug

Great rum and great deal $22. for a 1.75L...haha its a total fricking steal! Much like you would expect from a younger Doorly's 8 or younger RL Seale's, it definitely has some

Matusalem Gran Reserva

Definite sipper Exceptionally smooth finish and nice sweet flavors without being loaded with sugar. I taste a combination of oak, caramel (in the way of sweetened puf

Cruzan Single Barrel

Used to be better Very good for the price, nice vanilla, molasses, and oak flavors. Smokey spicy sweet in all the right ways I really like this. Update: I just tried th

Chairman's The Forgotten Cask

Excellent Great dark natural body with the usual rum flavors but also a noticeable dried pineapple taste in the finish. Loved it.

Don Q Vermouth Cask

Old fashioned Add a little sugar and orange peel, no bitters required. Spicy, sweet, tingly, interesting.

Don Q Oak Barrel Spiced

Great rum and coke Lots of vanilla and spice with a good quality base rum behind it.

Good flavor, too sweet Nice flavor of vanilla with a hint of brandy/cognac that reminds me of the less sweet Santa Teresa 1796 (better IMO). This is a real sugar bomb, syrup

Botran Solera 1893

A more natural Guatemalan From the same distillery as Zacapa, that’s what it tastes like but with less sugar added. Pretty good, maybe a tiny bit medicinal though.

Havana Club Selección de Maestros

Good A little more burn than I expected. less sugar added than other HC rums.

Ron Del Barrilito 3 Star

This is unique stuff I have grown partial to this rum while visiting Puerto Rico and I have not tasted anything else like it anywhere. It's bursting with smokey caramel va

Ron Zacapa 23 Solera

Everyone should try this at least once Dominant flavors: Chocolate covered cherry/Dr.pepper I wasn't sure that I would, but I like this. In the past the bottle didn't explain that this w

Smooth and sweet but not syrupy. Less syrupy sweet than I expected from some reviews here. Has a fruity and vanilla taste to it. Almost juicy flavor when u sip it just right. I wouldn

Not as good as Doorly's IMO, but a complex, smooth, and dry sipping rum. Dominant Flavors: vanilla bean, salt water, leather, mild oak, You get an initial oak and bourbon Barrel flavor that is similar to MGXO and just

Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

For those who like sweet This is the first darker sweet style rum I've ever tried and it got me into sipping and learning about all types of rum. It has thicker texture in the

Don Q Limited Edition

Puerto Rican gone Bajan I had first tried the 2007 vintage and got a hold of this one later, it's much different overall. This is lighter in color and tastes a bit younger IM

Great deal Solid Bajan with a little more bite than others I've tried. It has some mild funky dried fruit flavors that you would expect in an English style rum b

Smoothness is its strongest trait It's noticeably smooth to drink but in muting the harshness they seem to also mute the flavors. There are some mild dried fruit flavors with a bitters

Brought it to a party and everyone loved it. Good stuff with a dried fruit, mild funk, and tiny bit of coconut finish. I took it to a party and we drank the whole bottle between a few people. Eve

Diplomatico Reserva

Basically the Reserva Exclusiva without the ton of added sugar IMO I"ve previously gone through a couple of the DRE bottles and like it, but sometimes it's almost too sweet so I would drink it on the rocks to cure tha

El Dorado Special Reserve

Need to try again Will update as my pallete for funky Demerara rum has changed and I recall this being not as sweet as expected for how much sugar is added...

Appleton Estate Rare Blend

Definitively Jamaican- the funk I'm surprised that the dominant flavor of this rum reminds me of El Dorado 8 year rum but with a lighter body less sweet finish. I've never been a big

Very sweet classic caramel oak flavor I just revisited this and at first sip- wow it's really good. After that it's just kinda a sweet mess of semi burnt caramel n oak w syrupy sugar body.

Strangely smooth This rum is noticeably dryer and smooth. Different than what I am used to and I wouldn't necessarily call it a sipper but it's great w a splash of col

Smooth but... Having tried the 7, then 12, and now finally the 18. All I can say is you might as well stick with the 7. I truly truly wanted to love this and wished

Very vanilla I’ll have to revisit this... it didn't seem to complex but I had it at a restaurant and didn’t give it time. Seems in the class of small amount of sug

Not as expected It's definitely smooth but lacks in the flavor department especially when compared to something like Doorly's 12 yr which is also a natural rum. It's

Decent rum Sweetened, similar flavors to Bacardi 8 but smoother and no nail polish flavor. Vanilla and Tobacco flavor for sure.

El Pasador de Oro XO

Good if you like syrupy sweet styles Smooth, very sweet, sugar added for sure. Slight marmalade taste also a hint of cola flavor. Nose seems like there is some young rum in the blend. Int

Mount Gay Black Barrel

More of a mixer IMO Much oakier than Eclipse and nice vanilla flavor. It's got too much burn for my liking compared to the Doorly's line up, but makes a good mixer.

Flor de Caña Gran Reserva -

Good not great- vodka like Natural tasting rum with a grassy Agricole-like base flavor and some mild aged flavors like vanilla and oak over the top. I do mean mild when I say mi

First love This is the one that started my fascination with rum. I met my wife while visiting PR years ago and was able to get this for super cheap on the island

Abuelo Gran Reserva

Interesting Smells sweet like Ron Zacapa Solera 23 but only has half of the familiar taste from that rum. The dried fruit and raisiny flavors are the same but the

Mixer for me I had this after finishing off a bottle of the 12 yr, so this was harsh in comparison. It still had some Bourbon/brown sugar flavor but not nearly as

Bacardi Reserva

In the beginning... Right there with Bacardi 8 this was a first love of mine. Good stuff, excellent to mix w oaky flavor.

Trigo Reserva Aneja

Good to mix Decent younger aged rum that is less sweet than other Puerto Rican rums like Bacardi 8 or Don Q anejo. This is thin bodied with a predominant bitter f

Barbancourt 5 Star Reserve Especiale

Smooth My first "Rhum" Agricole so I can't compare it to others of this type. I will say that it's very smooth and not very sweet which I expected. The base

Glad I found some Gingery tasting rum that is not as sweet as some others I've tried but not super dry like a Brugal añejo either. Flavor is reminiscent of Ron del Barr

Plantation XO 20th Anniversary

Expected more based on reviews The sugar in it helps smooth it out and there's is a nice sweetness to it but it still tastes relatively young compared to other highly rated sweet ru

Sweet and simple Not very complex at all, very one dimensional actually. Not worth the price tag but if you get it as a gift 🤷🏻‍♂️ Anyway, a candy rum flavor that is f

Havana Club Anejo Especial

Sweeter than 7 yr Even more sugar, lighter tasting vanilla, more caramel, and still tobacco dominates.

Barcelo Imperial

Simple Not complex but straightforward toffee flavor and some heat. Not bad and not great.

Don Q Double Aged Sherry Cask Finish

Not as good as I hoped I love Don Q but this one kinda let me down. There’s something about the aging that left me with a little burn or flavor I didn’t love.

Tommy Bahama Golden Sun

Not bad Definitely a demerara style and quite sweet considering theres no sugar added. This surprised me because usually these types of flavors tell me there

Captain Morgan 1671

Not terrible, reminds me of summer, smooth enough to sip Everyone has that one kind of alcohol that makes them gag because they once drank too much of it and vomited all night long. For me that alcohol is Ca

A definite step up from Bacardi Better than Bacardi superior. Noticeably smoother and easier to drink. Pretty solid young rum.

Kirk and Sweeney

Overrated The rum is smooth enough to sip however the flavor of it is just different than most rums I've tried and in a negative way for me. There is a bitterne

Mount Gay Eclipse

...and then I was hooked on rum forever. I was introduced to this when I was younger from my uncle who used to take surf trips to Barbados. He recommended I try it with ginger ale and a lime

Brugal Extra Viejo

Ok but not as good as other Brugals I hoped it would be an upgrade to Brugal Anejo and it does seem to have a thicker body and maybe more aging, but its aged only in ex-bourbon casks not

Sag Harbor Old Whalers Style

Different and cool marketing but mehhh... Juicy pear combined with a mild artificial vanilla flavor similar to flavored oatmeal... it then has a weird funky tea flavor in the background. When

Kraken Black Label

Better than any Captain spiced rum I've ever tried I picked up a mini bottle of this bc it looked cool and I wanted to see how it compared to the original white label Kraken. The flavor that really POP

Pyrat XO Reserve

Too orangey for me Didn't really like it. Initial taste reminded me of taking children's orange triamenic cough syrup as a kid. That seems rather specifically bad doesn'

Bacardi Superior

Classic mixer I have a handle of this sitting on my cabinet It's a last resort mixer for whoever wants some. Can't say I haven't drank my share of it in my day and

Kraken Black Spiced

Vanilla spice Better than any Captain spiced rum IMO. Good mixer and packs a punch

Don Papa Small Batch

Didn't like it Got to try a little at a liquor store before buying a full bottle...didn't buy the bottle afterwards. Smooth but tastes orangey and cough syrup like.

Sister Isles Wine Barrel Reserva

A swing and a miss Bought it at a duty free in Spain...IDK what’s in this but it’s weird and tastes very unnatural. Not real aging. Smooth but boring and just doesn't ta

First time I drank hard alcohol First time I ever drank shots was this stuff- of course I ended up puking. These days it's too acidic and turns me off the way tequila turns off a lot

Fire water Used for lighting drinks on fire, literally. Can't even mix it cuz it's so harsh. Gave me serious acid issues last time I had it uggghhh. Maybe I'm ge

Bleh Bleh bleh bleh bleh blaaaaa bleh bleh. Not good I'd rather have superior to mix

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